White City Campus South Masterplan in the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham Planning Application No
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planning report GLA/2885c/01 30 April 2018 White City Campus South Masterplan in the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham planning application no. 18/00267/OUT Strategic planning application stage 1 referral Town & Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended); Greater London Authority Acts 1999 and 2007; Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008. The proposal Redevelopment of the site to construct an employment-led mixed use development comprising up to 178,102 sq.m. of office and research and development floorspace, 13,539 sq.m. of flexible commercial, leisure and community use, a 9,290 sq.m. hotel and 373 residential units, with buildings ranging from 2 to 32 storeys, together with supporting highways infrastructure and public realm. The applicant The applicant is Imperial College London and the architect is Allies and Morrison Strategic issues summary Principle of development: The development of a new research campus, with supporting commercial, leisure, community, hotel and residential uses is strongly supported and would help to deliver the Mayor’s aspirations for ‘Med City’, the White City OAPF and housing targets. The applicant must provide further details to confirm their strategy for providing SME workspace. Affordable housing: 35% affordable housing (comprising intermediate units prioritised for Imperial College London employees and other key workers) is generally supported as a starting point; however, as the scheme is not eligible for the ‘Fast Track Route’, the applicant must submit a Financial Viability Appraisal and early and late stage review mechanisms should be secured. Should the applicant significantly increase the affordable housing offer, GLA officers may be minded to wave the late stage review. Design and heritage: The design, layout and height of the proposed development is supported and would preserve and enhance the significance of the conservation area and would not harm adjacent heritage assets. Climate change: The proposals fall short of the London Plan and draft London Plan targets for reductions in CO2 emissions. Further information has been requested on specific issues, and any remaining shortfall must be secured by the Council through a Section 106 agreement. Transport: Site access improvements must be legally secured, with the new bridge link and associated access improvements delivered prior to occupation and junction improvements at Wood Lane aligned with Cycle Superhighway 10. Transport modelling must be revised before transport mitigation measures can be agreed with TfL. Cycle and car parking provision must be revised to meet draft London Plan standards. TfL infrastructure protection issues must be addressed by condition. Recommendation That Hammersmith and Fulham Council be advised that the application does not comply with the London Plan, for the reasons set out in paragraph 81. However, the resolution of those issues could lead to the application becoming compliant with the London Plan and draft London Plan. Context 1 On 8 March 2018 the Mayor of London received documents from Hammersmith and Fulham Council notifying him of a planning application of potential strategic importance to develop the above site for the above uses. Under the provisions of The Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 the Mayor must provide the Council with a statement setting out whether he considers that the application complies with the London Plan, and his reasons for taking that view. The Mayor may also provide other comments. This report sets out information for the Mayor’s use in deciding what decision to make. 2 The application is referable under the following categories of the Schedule to the Order 2008: • 1A “Development which comprises or includes the provision of more than 150 houses, flats, or houses and flats.” • 1B(c) “Development (other than development which only comprises the provision of houses, flats, or houses and flats) which comprises or includes the erection of a building or buildings - outside Central London and with a total floorspace of more than 15,000 square metres.” • 1C(c) “Development which comprises or includes the erection of a building of more than 30 metres high and is outside the City of London.” 3 Once Hammersmith and Fulham Council has resolved to determine the application, it is required to refer it back to the Mayor for his decision as to whether to direct refusal; take it over for his own determination; or allow the Council to determine it itself. 4 The environmental information for the purposes of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011 has been taken into account in the consideration of this case. 5 The Mayor of London’s statement on this case will be made available on the GLA website www.london.gov.uk. Site description 6 The 5.68 hectare site is located in White City Opportunity Area and forms part of the wider Imperial College London land holding. It is bounded to the north by Imperial College London’s White City Campus North; to the east by the West London Line; to the west by Wood Lane; and to the south by a residential-led mixed use development site under construction by St James, known as ‘White City Living’. 7 The site comprises vacant industrial buildings and areas of hardstanding within the former Dairy Crest depot site, together with Forest House and Stadium House, which are currently occupied office buildings. The site boundary extends under the A40 Westway and includes provision for a new bridge over the Central Line, together with associated highway improvements at the junction of South Africa Road and Wood Lane. The site boundary is shown below in Figure 1. 8 The site has a Public Transport Access Level (PTAL) rating of 6a, dropping to 5 in a small eastern portion (on a scale of 0 to 6b where 6b represents the highest level of public transport access). White City station is approximately 160 metres from the site and Wood Lane Station is located 450 metres further south. There are five bus routes that can be reached in a short walking distance from the site via this route and Cycle Hire Docking Stations are located on Ariel page 2 Way and Wood Lane. Currently, the only access to the site for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists is provided via Depot Road, a narrow private road which leads onto Wood Lane and bridges over the Central Line. 9 The wider area is made up of a mix of land uses and building heights and is undergoing considerable change. White City Campus North is nearing completion on the adjacent site to the north of the Westway Flyover and comprises a number of office and research and development buildings, 608 units of post-graduate student accommodation, and a 35 storey residential tower. To the south of the site, the White City Living and Westfield developments would provide approximately 3,000 homes and approximately 50,000 sq.m of retail floorspace, with buildings ranging in height up to 30 storeys. Details of the proposal 10 The application seeks planning permission to redevelop the site to construct an employment-led mixed use development comprising up to the following maximum levels of floorspace: Table 1 – maximum floorspace by land use Maximum floorspace GEA Use Use Class (sq.m.) % Research and development, office and other business space B1 178,102 74% Retail, cafe, restaurant, bar, community A1 to A5, D1 and/or leisure floorspace and D2 13,539 6% Residential (373 units) C3 41,324 17% Hotel C1 9,290 4% Total 242,255 100% 11 The application also includes a new bridge access over the Central Line, junction and access improvements and provides for the redevelopment of Stadium House. In terms of building heights, the application proposes mixed use office buildings ranging from 6 to 13 storeys, residential buildings of 18 to 32 storeys and an 8 storey hotel. 12 The planning application has been submitted in outline form and includes a development specification and parameters plans document which prescribes the location, layout and land use of the development and tightly defines the three dimensional form of the proposed buildings in terms of minimum and maximum heights, separation and set back distances and areas of public realm. In addition, a design code has been submitted which sets out key design principles and rules for forthcoming reserved matters applications, which would be secured by condition. Following any outline planning permission, reserved matters applications would need to be in compliance with the specifications set out in these documents. 13 The masterplan comprises seven distinct development zones which would enclose a large linear central public space, and are shown below in Figure 1. The development specification document sets out the maximum quantum of overall floorspace being sought in each Development Zone as part of the outline application, which is detailed below: page 3 Figure 1 – Development Zones and upper floor land uses Development Zone 1 14 Development Zone 1 comprises two buildings located under the A40 Westway which would be occupied by up to a maximum of 2,161 sq.m. of flexible commercial uses falling within Class A1- A5, B1, D1 and D2 use and would range from 13 to 17 metres in height, subject to TfL asset protection requirements. Development Zone 2 15 Development Zone 2 comprises a 6 storey mixed use building between 36.5 metres and 46.8 metres in height, which would be occupied by up to 3,602 sq.m. of floorspace, with flexible ground floor commercial, community, education and leisure uses within Class A1-A5, D1 and D2 use and office, research and development and other business uses in B1 use and education uses in D1 use on upper floor levels. Development Zones 3 and 6 16 Development Zones 3 and 6 comprises mixed use buildings fronting the central open space ranging from 50.65 metres to 70.35 metres in height (approximately 10 to 12 storeys) and would be occupied by up to 160,397 sq.m.